The present invention relates in general to a crib toy and, more particularly, to a crib toy having a reversing mechanism for moving the crib toy along a crib rail alternately in a forward and then a reverse direction thereby enhancing its play value to an infant lying in a crib.
It is generally well known that the attention span of an infant is relatively short. As a result, crib toys which are immobile offer little entertainment value to an infant lying in a crib. To this end, there has been devised in the prior art a crib toy adapted for repetitive back and forth movement along a crib rail while playing a soothing melody. One such prior art crib toy is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,285,159. In accordance with this prior art crib toy, a reversing mechanism is housed within an outer shell in the shape of a train to cause its repetitive back and forth movement along the crib rail. This prior art reversing mechanism is constructed generally from a motor which rotates first and second cam surfaces at a first speed while rotating first and second cam followers at a second speed. The differential speed causes the cam followers to drive first and second gears into alternate engagement with an output roller to drive the crib toy along the crib rail in repetitive back and forth motion.
Another prior art reversing mechanism adapted for use in a ground operated toy vehicle is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,443,622. The reversing mechanism of this prior art toy vehicle is constructed generally from a cam follower in contact with the circumferential surface of a clutch cam. The cam follower is linked to a cradle pivoted by operation of the cam follower and clutch cam. Journaled to the lower end of the cradle is a drive gear which supports an axle having wheels at either end thereof for causing movement of the toy vehicle along the ground. The cradle is positioned behind and between a forward and reversing gear, which gears are journaled to a stationary member. As the cam causes pivotal movement of the cradle via the cam follower, the drive gear is alternately meshed with the forward and then reversing gears thereby causing the toy vehicle to be driven in repetitive back and forth motion by its wheels.
These prior art reversing mechanisms suffer from a number of notable disadvantages. For example, the reversing mechanism of the prior art crib toy requires an expensive and complicated pair of dual speed cam assemblies. Of a different nature, the reversing mechanism of the toy vehicle has its wheels journaled to the pivotable cradle. As a result, operation of the reversing mechanism causes the wheels to be laterally displaced each time the cradle is pivoted to effect repetitive back and forth motion. This arrangement, however, is not generally suitable for use with a crib toy which moves along a slender crib rail as a result of the disruption of the toy vehicle during the lateral displacement of its wheels. Accordingly, it can be appreciated that there is an unsolved need for an improved crib toy having a reversing mechanism to effect its stable movement along a crib rail alternately between a forward and reverse direction, in addition, to being economical to manufacture and of simple construction.